The answers You may have been seeking for about the Freemasonry. There is nothing secret or secretive about Freemasonry and its organisations
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We exist. We don’t pretend otherwise.
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Our buildings are open to the public for meetings, tours and events.
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We appear in public at, for example, the Lord Mayor’s Show.
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We publish lists of our officers every year.
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We are active on social media and have many websites.
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We donate to local and national charities.
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We try to get articles in the press but for some reason they don’t always want to tell our story.
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Our members are free to disclose their membership providing they do not seek any personal advantage by doing so.
Our meetings are private, not secret
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They are open only to members and candidates whom we have approved for membership.
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Candidates are approved on the basis of a belief in a Supreme Being (the deity of any religion) and adherence to a moral code.
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Meetings are contemplative environments built on the bond that comes from a shared experience.
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They consist of morality plays acted out by candidates and through which we learn to build ourselves to become better people.
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Many other organisations also hold private meetings with a restricted attendance (eg, boards of directors, other clubs and associations).
The secrets referred to in Freemasonry are dramatic elements within the morality plays, part of the script
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These secrets are used within the plays as proof of a qualification as a Mediaeval Stonemason.
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They are the equivalent of diplomas and arose when people were not literate.
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They act like passwords and PIN numbers.
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We don’t disclose the scripts of these morality plays because to do so will spoil the impact of the experiential learning involved.
Freemasonry is an enlightenment organisation
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it arose during the age of enlightenment.
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Its founders were leading enlightenment figures.
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It promotes tolerance, mutual understanding, respect for each other and our differences.
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Discussion of religious or political dogmas and differences are banned at our meetings because they are divisive.
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It brings people together based on the good things that unite them rather those that divide us.
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It formed the basis of the US constitution.
Access to our membership list is governed by data protection laws
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We are not permitted to disclose membership details.
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We are like all membership organisations in that sense.
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Individual members may disclose their membership providing they don’t seek personal gain in doing so.
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Members declare their membership in registers of interests in connection with public, charitable and statutory appointments.
Freemasonry is not for everyone
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You can become a Freemason.
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You only have to ask.
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Like all private membership organisations we define qualifications for membership.
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If you profess a belief in a Supreme Being and live by a moral code, you will be welcome to join us.
Freemasons live by standards of integrity
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If you use your membership for personal gain, you will be expelled.
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If you are convicted of a criminal offence, you will be expelled.
Freemasons have been stigmatised, attacked and persecuted since the 18th century
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Like all organisations that stand for something, Freemasonry has always had its detractors and critics.
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There is a lot of misinformation about Freemasonry as a result.
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Myths and fantastical stories abound.
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Please check your sources and check your facts before perpetuating the rubbish.
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Best of all ask us or visit us to find out the truth.
The secrets referred to in Freemasonry are dramatic elements within the morality plays, part of the script
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If you don’t acknowledge the Creator, Freemasonry would make no sense to you.
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If you don’t recognise the source of morality is from “above rather than within” and that there is a force greater than ourselves, Freemasonry would be of no interest to you.
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If you don’t wish to be of better service to others, Freemasonry would be a waste of your time.
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If you don’t wish to work at your personal development and improve your understanding of self and others, Freemasonry is not for you.
Women can be Freemasons
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Women may join a women only or a mixed Lodge.
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The most popular Masonic organisations are single sex, partly because of history and partly because that's how their male and female members want them.
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Many women choose to spend some of their time in female only environments just as many men choose to spend some of their time in men only environments.
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Single sex organisations have a valid and important place in our society and do not imply misogyny or unfair discrimination.